Struggles and Triumphs
by snowflakes849
Summary: What happens after the team finds Ziva alive? First NCIS fic.


**Struggles and Triumphs**

**I do not own NCIS. ******** If I did, Ziva would never have been tortured. Poor girl.**

**First NCIS fic. So, please be nice!**

She couldn't believe it. Of all the incredible and unimaginable things she had witnessed in her life, this was the hardest thing that Ziva David had encountered.

Tony was on her right and McGee on her left. And they weren't only there, but they were supporting her as they made their way out of the prison Ziva thought she'd never escape. Saleem Ulman was dead and they were almost free of the building. The sounds of a battle surrounded them and shook the ground.

There, standing at the end of the hallway was Gibbs.

"Let's go home."

Maybe this was real.

Ziva woke up slowly, relentless to leave the dream behind. She had seen her friends, family. It had been a long time since she had slept long enough to dream.

Something fell to the ground and there was a muffled curse.

Her muscles tightened against her will and she tried to relax. If her captors knew she was awake, the torture would resume. Then again, they would kick her awake anyhow if they got tired of waiting. Maybe she would get lucky and one of them would knock her out cold again.

A loud ringing sounded and Ziva bolted upright. Three pairs of eyes were suddenly glued on her. No one spoke as Gibbs answered his phone.

"Yeah…. Everyone is fine, Abby…. No. We got her….. Yeah, she's alive….. We'll be back at headquarters by morning." Gibbs snapped the phone shut, never taking his eyes off Ziva. He could see fear in her eyes. He wondered how long it would take for her to be able to wake up and not think she was still captive.

Events of the day came to Ziva and she was taken back with them as she remembered.

_Once the plane took off, she was settled on a long, cushioned bench seat by Tony. She remembered the care he had taken, as if he thought she would break at any moment. He didn't speak at all during the process and she could tell he was in deep thought. He stepped aside as Gibbs came to check on her, taking a seat on the bench across from her._

_Gibbs kneeled down in front of her and looked her over once. She caught the look in his eyes and knew if it had been anyone other than Gibbs, they would have winced._

"_It'll be easier if you told me what needs attention right now. Otherwise, I'll have Ducky take a look at you once we get back to Washington."_

_Ziva slowly rolled up the sleeve of her right arm. A deep cut ran from four inches above her elbow down to her forearm. "It's not bleeding anyone, but I believe it needs some disinfectants."_

_There was dried blood all over her cut, running down her arm. The skin around the cut was red and inflamed, sure signs that an infections was starting. And no wonder, since she had spent the last three months in a dirty cell._

_Gibbs nodded silently and grabbed a first aid kit from a compartment above the seats. After cleaning the dried blood, he examined the cut. A frown tugged at his mouth, but he didn't say anything. Once the cut was disinfected and bandaged, Gibbs packed the first aid away. "Make sure Ducky sees that. You'll need stitches."_

_Ziva nodded and Gibbs went to take a seat at a table, grabbing a folder and started on the paper work for the rescue mission._

_McGee stood from a seat across from Gibbs and brought her a water bottle from the fridge. Ziva took it gratefully and guzzled down half of it._

"_Easy," McGee instructed as her reached over to a cabinet next to Ziva. He reached in and grabbed a blanket. "You don't want to be throwing that back up in a half hour, do you?" He handed her the blanket. "This should help you get some rest on the ride home."_

_She accepted it with a small smile. "Thank you, McGee."_

_He smiled. "Good to have you back."_

_As he walked back to his seat at the front of the room, Ziva settled down to get some much needed sleep. It came quickly and the last thing she saw before she went under was Tony, from across the plane, watching her calmly, as if he knew something she didn't._

Ziva relaxed and leaned against the counter at her back. She couldn't look anyone in the eyes, so she focused her gaze on the window.

Gibbs, satisfied that she was calmer, went back to the file he was working on. He could tell she was uncomfortable and didn't want to push her. There would be time later to confront her fears, when she was ready.

McGee took the cue from the boss and went back to his computer. Abby was emailing him every few minutes, asking question after question in true Abby fashion. What have happened? Was Ziva ok? Was she hurt? Did they get the asshole Saleem? McGee would have laughed if she wasn't annoying him so much. When Abby had asked to email Ziva, McGee had informed her that Ziva was asleep. Abby promptly ordered him to take a picture and send it to her. If Gibbs wouldn't let her talk to Ziva and McGee wouldn't let her email her friend (McGee tried to say that it wasn't his fault, but Abby wouldn't listen), someone had to at least send her a picture. There was no arguing with Abby on this point. And now she was asking if the guys were taking proper care of her. If was turning into a long ride.

Tony, on the other hand, put down the sports magazine he had been scanning to watch the woman across from him. Earlier, he'd stared at her for a long time after she had fallen asleep. He replayed their conversation in the terrorists' prison over and over. She had truly given up on living. She's practically berated herself thinking that he and McGee would die because of her, saying she didn't deserve it. He couldn't image what those sick men had done to her to make her give up on life. She wasn't the type to let go. She fought. She wasn't perfect and she fell, but she always got back up, fists held up, ready for another round. That was the woman she was, a spitfire. Or, at least that had been the woman she was before.

**TBC**

**Like it? Please review. Have constructive criticism? Let me know!**


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